Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Shri Anurag Thakur today addressed the India Forum at the famous Palais des Festivals in Cannes. Representing a 6000 year old culture and 1.3 billion people the Minister delivered his keynote address in front of audience comprising foreign and Indian filmmakers, journalists and delegates.
This year marks the 75th year celebration of both Cannes Film Festival and of establishment of India-France diplomatic relations. Speaking on the importance of Cannes, the Minister said that over the years, ‘Festival de Cannes’ has played a significant role in strengthening Indo-French relations. Thakur noted the historic highs of Indian cinema and said that Indian content has been ruling the hearts and minds of the global audience and the stepping stone was laid by bestowing the Palme d’Or to the prolific Indian filmmaker Chetan Anand’s film Neecha Nagar in 1946 and a decade later in 1956, Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali won the Palme d’Or.
“Today the recognition of our cinematic excellence the world over is set to manifest the country into the ‘content hub of the world’”, the Minister added.
The Minister informed the audience about the presence of Indian startups in Cannes and said the startups from media and entertainment sector will showcase their technological prowess and pitch to the best from the world of AVGC along with a strong delegation of animation professionals from the sector.
Anurag Thakur promised that the Government will take all necessary measures to transform India into a Global Content Sub Continent and use the skills of our youth to make India the preferred Post Production Hub for AVGC sector and to that end Government will speed up co-production collaborations from around the world and also offer the best locations in India for Film Shoots.
These steps, he envisioned, will in the next 5 years, catapult Bharat into the league of leading quality content producing nations across the globe.
Thakur concluded his statement by extending a warm invitation to foreign film makers to shoot in India, bask in its hospitality and relish its breathtaking landscape.
